Competition
by Swirls of Awesomeness
Summary: I have decided to bring this competition back, but not as a way to decide on the deputy; as a competition for the clans strongest cat." Thornpaw's ears perked up, along with every other cat in the clearing. A competition to see what cat was the strongest! He would win for sure! (One-Shot/Challenge for Mapleclan)


"All cats old enough to swim, gather beneath the Tallstone for a clan meeting!" Troutstar's voice echoed through the Marshclan camp, waking Thornpaw up. He groaned, shaking himself. He padded out of the apprentice's den sleepily. 'What in Starclan is making Troutstar call a meeting this early?' He thought as he sat down, eyes and tail drooping. From the looks of the other cats in the clearing, they were tired too. Only Troutstar seemed excited, though for what reason Thornpaw didn't have a clue.

"As some of you probably know, in the ancient Marshclan we had a competition to see who would become deputy each moon. Because of this, the deputy was frequently changed and was a position that went to the strongest cat instead of wisest. That's why the leader eventually chose the deputy. I have decided to bring this competition back, but not as a way to decide on the deputy; as a competition for the clans strongest cat." Thornpaw's ears perked up, along with every other cat in the clearing. A competition to see what cat was the strongest!

"Well, _I'm_ obviously going to win." Bluepaw boasted, looking over at Thornpaw. He growled slightly at her, and Cloudpaw rolled her eyes. "Bluepaw, there are going to be warriors in this competition. Fully trained cat's who have been alive way longer than you. You don't stand a chance." She said quietly. Thornpaw laughed, but inside his head he thought about what she had said. 'I guess that means I don't stand a chance either…' He thought glumly. Troutstar leapt off of the Tallstone and padded over to the apprentices.

"You three will be competing against each other, and you're going first. You're going to catch as much prey as you can in one Sun-Shift (hour). You start... Now!" He said. Thornpaw sat there for a moment, when Cloudpaw streaked into the marsh. He and Bluepaw realized exactly what Troutstar had said at the same time. They looked at each other with a challenging look in their eyes, and raced off into the marsh.

Thornpaw headed for the edge, where there were some woods they had. It was where he had caught his first prey, and there might be a lot of prey there. Besides, the marsh was a bit harder to run in. He looked back and saw Bluepaw heading into the marsh, with Cloudpaw quite a bit in front of her. He turned his head to look forward, and had to swerve to miss a tree that he had started to run towards.

When he was a few more steps into the forest, he pricked his ears and scented the air. He couldn't pick up the scent of anything! He growled silently to himself and carefully made his way through the forest. Still nothing. He was about to give up and go to the marsh, when he heard the skittering paws of a mouse. He froze, and scented the air, trying to tell where it was from.

Its scent was coming from a tree to Thornpaw's left. He peered on the other side of the tree, and saw the little creature. He also saw its hole on the opposite side of him. An idea sparked in his mind. He crept around, making sure that the mouse didn't see him. Then he leaped on the hole, covering the entrance with dirt.

The mouse shot off, and Thornpaw raced after it. They streaked through the forest, crashing through the undergrowth. Then he saw another mouse-hole ahead. He growled and increased his speed, almost reaching the mouse. The mouse was almost there, so he leaped, pushing with his hind legs, at the mouse.

Thornpaw's paw landed on the mouse's spine, and he could feel it crack beneath him. Feeling relieved, he checked the sky and froze. He had one sun-glow (minute) before he had to get back. He streaked out of the forest, and towards the camp. The time he had to get back was running short, and he raced into the camp with only two heartbeats to spare. He sat there, panting, and looked over at the other two apprentices. Bluepaw had a small fish in front of her. Cloudpaw had three fish, and looked proud. All three of them were covered in mud.

Troutstar chuckled when he saw Thornpaw race into the camp. "It looks like Cloudpaw wins. The battle part will be tomorrow." He said, then went to the warriors to tell them the results and start their hunting challenge. Thornpaw slumped to the ground. He could wait until tomorrow. Because right now he just wanted to sleep.


End file.
